2rd Dec

Not much action today. Spent the day wandering city, and enjoying the great food.

3rd Dec

Had to get up at some ridiculous hour so we can catch a taxi to the bus station. The bus trip involves crossing the border into Peru. We arrive at the bus station and begin the long trip. Pretty boring until we have to cross lake Titicaca, the worlds highest navigable lake. We have to take a little boat across, wile our bus is transported by a barge.

The next stop is Copacabana; a little town on the shore of Titicaca. It's a funky little spot full of backpackers. Had a great lunch before boarding the bus for Puno

The bus arrives in Puno late afternoon. The hotel is meant to collect us from the depot, but as our bus company put us on a bus with a different company they were not expecting us so early. We catch a taxi to the hotel, and the fare is promptly paid for by the hotel. Now, Puno is nothing special, it’s a town most travellers stay in for one night when travelling between La Paz to Cusco.

The Hotel turns out to be great. Very quiet rooms, great beds and breakfast. After unpacking we take a short walk to see what Puno has to offer. Well not much. It’s a pretty run down town. After a great Pizza for tea we head back to the hotel. It has started to rain but we make it back without getting too wet.

4th Dec

Up bright and early again. Another bus form Puno to Cusco. This bus is called the Inca Express. We make a few stops to see some sights in the small villages on the way. Lunch was fantastic, and included in the bus fare. After a few more very interesting stops we arrive in Cusco.

We are collected by a taxi that takes us the our hotel in Cusco. It’s nice but doesn’t feel right. Anyway its will do for a few nights. We take a walk to the main square. All towns seem to have a main square which can be very pretty. The Plaza in Cusco is very nice. The problem I have is after walking along the footpath, breathing in diesel fumes, my throat is killing me. We can’t seem to get away from diesel fumes.

5th Dec

spent the day exploring Cusco. It is a fascinating place. So much to see with lots of small streets and laneways dating back hundreds of years. We also check out another place to stay, and will move there on the 7th.

6th Dec

Today is a big day. We are heading to Machu Picchu. So it’s up at 5.30am. After breakfast we are collected by a taxi driver, who drives like a madman. We board the train at 8am and don’t get to the Machu Picchu station till 11.30. Now it’s onto a bus that takes you up to the entrance of Machu Picchu. We are greeted by our guide and of we go. This is one amazing place! After climbing up and down hundreds of steps, we call it a day and head back down to have something to eat. While eating its starts to rain very heavily. We were very lucky with the weather.

The train ride back is very boring. It leaves at 4.30pm and gets dark very quickly, so nothing to see. We arrive back at Cusco at 8pm. Our taxi driver gets us back to the hotel safely. We are both pretty tired, and can’t wait to get to bed.